BY DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY JAN. 26, 2022) — First order of business, a housekeeping note, to the many who tried to log on to THE PLANET in the wee hours yesterday and couldn’t.

Essentially, we had a traffic backup. Forgive the use of jargon, but by way of explanation for these weird events in cyberspace, there’s no other way to jive. From our IT department:

It looks like the issue could was caused by an influx of traffic to the server. The server RAM (temporary memory) is limited and acts like a food service line. Each time a page is loaded on any site on this server, a request is made to the server to build and serve the page back to the user who requested it. This is like someone ordering breakfast at a restaurant — a service ticket is created, handed back to the chefs and, a few minutes later, the dish is produced to be handed off to the customer.

On a web server, the httpd service handles these requests, serving as the waiter. Typically, it can fulfill each request, or page load, in a matter of seconds or milliseconds. In this case, the server became overwhelmed and cut off any additional http connections. It closed the doors to the restaurant to catch up on the orders.

Typically, when this happens, the service takes a few moments to clear the queue and automatically permits new connections, or reopens the doors to admit new customers. Instead, the service shut down and caused a 10-15 minute shutdown of all sites. Restarting the service (which includes https) got our sites back online.

We thank you for your patience. As one wag commented, not a bad problem to have, too much traffic and too many hits. Our investments backstage have prevented 99.9% of these situations, but every once in a while, even the largest networks have this problem. Too much traffic for the road.

And by the way, THE PLANET has ruled out a cyberattack from the Kremlin or the White House.

———- ooo ———-

Speaking of the White House, Joe Biden going one on one with Vladimir Putin is like Michael Dunn taking Wilt into the paint. Outmatched, outnumbered, outwitted.

No one knows what will happen with the Ukraine. Putin has the troops at the borders, declares he has no intention of starting a war, and speaks of training exercises the way Jack LaLane used to exhale and inhale on his TV exercises. Meanwhile, Biden stepped into cow pie, giving Russia the green light for a “minor incursion.” The White House has been scrambling since — even Kamala, who was spotted teaching a hyena how to chuckle.

Why is this the United States business? THE PLANET gets the NATO obligations, but isn’t it hypocritical for America to knock the East’s security alliances, namely CSTO — the Collective Security treaty Organization, their NATO.

BCSTO includes Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakstan, Armenia, and Belarus. Russia is pledged to defend one and all, should the West intervene.

Whose conning whom? Each side claims the other is trying to incite a new Cold War.

Our guess? The 8,500 U.S. troops that have been put on high alert will have the opposite effect on Putin that Biden hopes.

———- ooo ———-

Last week, THE PLANET broke a story about felling trees around the Pittsfield airport. Seems airport manager Dan Shearer didn’t put in the request for funds during the FY23 budget process, so, with the mayor’s approval, tacked on an emergency request to use “free” cash — Kapanski Kash — to spend $162,400 for a consultant

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before.

The council’s finance subcommittee approved the request. Gale Associates got the job. How much debate do you think the measure will draw when it comes up before the council as a whole [last night]?

Questions:

• Are the trees on private property truly a safety hazard, or did the promise of federal and state reimbursement lure the city into another of those do-nothing projects that reward privately and do nothing to help the public?
• If this is the airport’s “highest priority” item, as Shearer contends, why didn’t he include the request in the regular budget? Don’t expect any good answers.

Two weeks ago, at the first meeting of the new session, our Right Honorable Good Friends met for 39 minutes. Last night’s agenda looked even lighter. What’s that work out to an hour? Councilors get about $400 per meeting. At 39 minutes, they worked at an hourly rate of $660 an hour. Tough work, but someone has to do it.

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“Government’s first duty is to protect its people, not run their lives” — Ronald Reagan

“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”

LOVE TO ALL.

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